A/N: I have finally kicked myself into gear, as proven by this upload. I really tried to use all my muse's powers to make this feel right. I hope you enjoy it!
The bristling night air bit at his exposed skin with unrelenting brutality. His gloved hands remained firmly in his pockets, ignoring the wind's determined grip on his tattered scarf. His position in the illuminated V of a company's name could only do so much. Time passed slowly during winter nights, but Leonardo faced it head on. He had to. His father was still out there. He couldn't waste any more time.
He had slept long into the day, only coming around again in time to hear the mounting tensions growing between his brothers. That was when he learned all they found was their master's staff. It may be something, but it was far from enough. They needed more. They needed a location to where he was now.
Leonardo ducked his head into a particularly wicked gust of frozen air. Though he was grateful for the clarity sleep provided him, he still felt guilt for wasting the hours he could have been searching. In the back of his mind, he knew better. His father would have agreed with April. Rest was just as important as skills in a fight. He was a shameful mess yesterday and needed the push. Still, it didn't change how he felt.
I'll find you, father. I'm so sorry… The apology brought his gaze to the stars above. I'll trust my instincts more from now on. I promise I'll make this up to you. Just be alright. Please.
A change in his peripheral vision snapped his focus in an instant. Without much thought to his actions, Leonardo whipped his hand out of his pocket in time to snatch a traveling arrow out of the air. A quick glance at the projectile confirmed his suspicions. "You got my message." He spoke the words to his surroundings without bothering to search out the archer. He didn't need to. He already knew the owner.
"It could not be missed. I hope you have a good reason for calling this meeting, Leonardo. I do not like my time wasted." The Japanese accent laced her words with deliberate severity.
"I always have a good reason, Karai." He tipped his head slightly in the direction of her voice. "I need you to tell me the truth." He turned and jumped down onto the roof behind the illuminated sign. "Do you know the current whereabouts of Master Splinter?" His voice turned dark as his hand gripped the handle of his katana without drawing it.
"Was this meeting planned to insult me? Why would I know such a thing? The rat is not my sensei." A bitter edge entered her voice of grievances past. "Why come to me anyway? I thought we came to an…understanding on such matters. I have yet to break my end of the deal. I have nothing to do with his disappearance. You may do well to keep better track of your clan if you wish to continue as their 'leader'."
"Even if you are innocent in this, I know you still have scouts all over the city. You would know something. December fifteenth. Tell me what you know."
"Over a month ago?" Karai stepped into view, stopping in the middle of the roof they shared. "That is a long time to be missing someone. He could be dead by now. That's what I would've made sure of within a week if it was me."
Her words didn't sound malicious, but they stung just the same. His grip tightened, his other hand itching to join, as he stepped forward. Yet when he finally spoke, his voice was firm and clear of the emotions ravaging beneath the surface. "What happened at the docks that night?"
"The docks?" Her grave expression lightened. "I might know something after all. My information will not be for free, however. You've already wasted precious minutes of my time. If you agree to my terms, maybe we can come up with something that will benefit the both of us."
"What terms?" He released his grip on his katana as he scowled.
"Consider it a debt I will collect whenever I have need of it." She might have smirked, but he couldn't tell past the shadows of the night.
"I don't like making deals where I don't know the cost."
"It is your decision. I do not need to make this deal."
Leonardo hesitated as he watched her turn away, his form tense with indecision. His gaze strayed to the docks miles away. There wasn't much alternative. This would cut their searching in half. Even so, he knew what his brothers would say. She was the enemy, how could he trust any information she'd give him? But they didn't need to know about this deal. If it means his father lives, it was worth whatever she planned to do with him. He bowed his head before turning to face her retreating form. "What is your information?"
Karai paused before glancing back at him. "You accept my terms?"
"…Yes, I do."
She faced forward once again, away from him. "There was a gang war by the docks that night. It attracted a lot of attention. Police attention." Without another word, she continued her walk at a more brisk pace until the shadows swallowed her lithe form.
The noise level rose with the ferocity of a raging bull. Bullets blasted through metal all around him, leaving very little safe passage between them. Among this, a young woman kept his focus above all else. He called her April, yet the hair was all wrong. She wore it in shapely blonde waves that framed her round face and fanned her shoulders in staggered lengths. He remembered her clearly like a long-forgotten dream. But mostly he remembered the blood blossoming from her chest.
She was crying as she dodged raining bullets. From a safe distance, he watched her. She didn't fit in and she appeared to know it. Still, he never planned to intervene. He had somewhere important he had to go. He didn't have time to risk his own safety. Why was she so out of place? He couldn't seem to walk away as she called out in her fear.
Her voice rose, though the words were muffled by time. She ran until there was nowhere else to run to and then she panicked. She had trapped herself and though she was alone now, she would not be for long. He heard her pursuer's soft footfalls racing to her location. Then he saw the lithe feminine form framed between large shadows like a demon ready to pounce on its prey.
The Blonde April backed against her dooming blockade, fear etched on her face. "No more! Please!"
It didn't stop her pursuer. Blades glinted between dark gloved fingers as the figure drew near. It planned to kill the blonde. He saw it in the shadow's stance. If he did nothing, the young woman would die. With no one else visible, it weighed heavy on his mind to just allow this needless death. He had to intervene.
He hesitated only due to the dim lighting, albeit briefly. If he thought about it, he would feel out of place stepping out of the shadows. As it was, there was little he could do about it now. Without a second thought, he quickly moved into action. The figure was no ninja, as evidenced by how easy he took her out. As the shadowy form fell, he heard the gasp of the woman he rescued. She had seen him as expected. He turned to face grey eyes filled with fear. The blonde April's hair billowed wildly around her as she took in his appearance. As he stepped back into the shadows, her hand shot forward. "Help me."
The scene turned red as blood like a haunting reminder. She was still in danger. All around them, bullets ricocheted from the war raging in the shadows of the night. She had to leave this place before she became the next casualty. "Come with me." He heard himself say before he led her towards safety. Something about the night weighed on his nerves. There was a fear he didn't quite understand. A part of him seemed to know something would go wrong, though what it was, he couldn't guess.
It wasn't until the shadows shifted unnaturally before him that he started to realize this was a dream; one he was too deep inside to control. All he could do was watch it unfold. He felt himself stop as the creature took shape. It moved with the elegance of a snake with teeth reminiscent of the blades owned by the dark-clothed woman he had only just taken down. It hissed intelligible words before it struck. Only his staff protected him from more than a scratch. He didn't feel pain as he admired the speed and agility of the snake-creature.
Even as he found himself fighting the creature with everything he had, the dream slowed him down. It was as if he was fighting through water. No matter what he tried, the beast bested him more and more. It frustrated the dreamer. He just wanted to wake up and be done with it. The dream blurred with the faint memory of blood. He heard the scream of the blonde's death as the world faded away. A faint beeping pervaded the air…
…Consciousness came with needling pangs concentrated along his arms and legs. The wall of his cell slowly came into focus as the last remnants of his dream faded in its clarity. He could almost still recall the blonde with an eerie sense of déjà vu. Maybe his dream wasn't just a dream after all?
Carefully Splinter eased his aching body upright, somewhat surprised he was able to at all. He could easily recall the unpleasant paralysis that left him completely vulnerable. After his captor's words, he expected to still be unable to move. The mobility that remained only worried him more than anything.
A familiar quirky ringtone danced through his cell; a sound he guessed must have helped break him out of his dream. Splinter carefully scanned his cell for the source, only locating it on the next ring: the camera. As he watched, the red indicator light flashed once more before blinking out completely. He barely had time to begin to comprehend why when the answer came in an almost sickly sweet young voice.
"You're awake, you're awake! Oh joy! I was getting sleepy just watching you. And bored. Very bored."
Splinter quickly searched the voice out, only to find hidden speakers disguised as a rock in his enclosure. He was surprised he didn't notice it before.
The voice giggled. "You found me! Daddy hooked me up, but I almost broke it yesterday. Isn't it neat? I've always wanted a friend that could actually talk for real. Daddy only lets me play with normal pets. You know, like not mutants."
"Who are you?" Splinter's gaze darted between the speaker and the camera. His tail twitched in his confusion. Why did this girl have access to the speakers in his cell? What did it mean for him?
"I'm Cleo! I'm 12! And you're Splinter. That's a funny name for a rat. Did your last owner call you that? Can you be my new friend? I really think I'd like friends."
"You caused the cameras to go out?" Splinter already knew the answer by now, but he asked anyway. When the girl confirmed it, he sank to the ground. There's still a chance I can escape. I refuse to be doomed to a fate I did not choose. This…this makes it easier. My sons haven't used up their chance to help just yet.
"I think so. Daddy wasn't very happy with me. But it's okay! He never stays mad at me. I'm his favorite! He calls me his little princess every night."
The little girl sounded proud of her title. Splinter frowned at the speaker. Almost too much so, but she was only a child. The peaceful bliss of childhood… Though the memory of his own youngster days had long faded, he reminisced on those of his turtles. He wondered how they were fairing at this moment…
"Oh no, I gotta go! Bye bye, Splinter!"
The abrupt interruption to his thoughts had him glancing quickly around his enclosure. The silence that followed confirmed her departure. The little girl was gone. He didn't have time to contemplate why she left in such a hurry before the door opposite the glass partition opened with that same soft click. Splinter's first instinctually thought was Kimberly, but the woman that entered was much older. He half-stood – barely able to keep steady – as his captor approached his cell.
"You don't need to stand for me. It must be a struggle and I wouldn't want you to waste your energy." The doctor tsked. When Splinter didn't sit down, she firmed her chin, narrowing her already small lips. "Fine. Do as you wish. You'll just make this easier." She glanced down at the food dish in her arms, bringing it to Splinter's attention. "It's a shame Miss Davis could not be here. She had…other business to attend to." She crouched to slide the dish through the glass slot.
Splinter only firmed his stance; pain and weakness barely a memory now. He glared at the woman, teeth bared with his distrust of everything to do with this 'doctor'.
"You are such a stubborn animal." Her haughty tone matched her proud demeanor. "When will you learn?" She turned away, her newly empty hands slipping into the deep pockets of her starched lab coat. "My name is Doctor Cartwright." She glanced back at him. "You should know who's in charge of your care. Maybe it will change your attitude."
"You paralyzed me." Splinter's calm voice was a direct contradiction to the irritation he still harbored over his weakness.
"You left your habitat." She faced him fully to point a long finger above him. "That light hides an airborne counter-agent designed to keep you mobile. If you leave again, it will return at full force with increased speed. It may even be immediate this time. You forced me to reduce its effectiveness." Her stern gaze returned to him.
"How long will you hold me prisoner?"
"Prisoner?" She scoffed. "You insult me after all I've done to keep you comfortable. You should be grateful." Once again, her chin raised in offense before she turned her back on him. "If you're so ready to leave, maybe I should put a rush on your next examination date. Rest up, Splinter. I would rather this procedure run smoothly the first time."
The door opened as she reached it before closing behind her with a resounding snap. Splinter stared after her, anxiety tantalizing his senses. He already knew what to expect from any examination with her at the head. Her cool demeanor drew up many parallels with Agent Bishop. He would not be surprised to find her just as methodical. The EPF agent knew how to pick his subordinates.
Now it was only a matter of time before the man himself gave him a visit. For as long as he knew Bishop, the agent never took a backseat to any project concerning Splinter's clan. Were his sons actually here already? Was that why Bishop was too busy to show himself? He could only hope his fear was only that. His turtles still had many years ahead of them. He was merely an old rat who already lived longer than nature usually granted. He was content with his own death as long as they survived him.
He slowly made his way over to the food dish. The meal appeared the same as Kimberly's deliveries, if a bit lackluster: a rice dish he had requested on his third day. Davis. Kimberly's last name, he was sure of it. He frowned at the food before him as he sat back. I hope she is well. He glanced up at the camera, not at all surprised to see it back online. That young child… What is your story? The day had barely started and already he had a lot more to think about. Only time would tell how it will all fit into place in the end.
A/N: Was that too many character introductions at once? I hope not. It worried me while I was writing it. I'm not used to introducing so many OCs since I started caring more about my writing. Oh, and those gang wars. I briefly touched upon them in an earlier chapter. That will happen more. I plan to add a lot of cameos and clues, not just for this story, but my whole series. It's something I learned from the best, specifically Faylinn Night. If you haven't read her series, what are you waiting for? Go on and check it out! Just remember to feed my hungry review box before heading over, it's been starving for months now! Hers needs some feeding too, so get your typing fingers ready ;)
